Category Archive: professional development

Feedback That Moves Writers Forward: How to Escape Correcting Mode To Transform Student Writing, written by Patty McGee, is a must-read for educators who know we can do far better for students when it comes to talking with them about their writing.

When Writers Drive the Workshop is a book with heart. Brian Kissel writes with passion, voice, humility, conviction, and wisdom. The stories he shares from the student writers he worked with are stories that will stay with you, reminding you why doing this work matters so much. Read the rest of the book review and leave a comment for a chance to win your own copy of When Writers Drive the Workshop! (You will want to win!)

“Mrs. Sokolowski, I’m done!” It’s a refrain I’ve heard often from students, who tell me they are completely finished with a piece of writing. More times than not, as I read the student’s… Continue reading →

When was the first time you felt like a writer? My earliest memory of being a writer was creating stories that my Grandma used to tell. She invented characters: “Good Gertie,” “Bad Betsy,” and… Continue reading →

One of my favorite kinds of professional development is having an opportunity to visit other teachers’ classrooms (aka: lab sites). It helps to see how other teachers carry out instruction with their students.… Continue reading →

This month, interspersed with the Slice of Life Story Challenge, my colleagues and I are writing about professional development possibilities. Many of our readers are literacy coaches, team leaders, administrators, professors, and classroom teachers… Continue reading →

I admit, when I first heard about Twitter, I thought the concept was ridiculous. Shooting a message of 140 characters or less into the world? Why? Who would care? Since my initial incredulity,… Continue reading →

As the school year comes to a close, many of the schools I work with are launching into a week or so of in-service, summer institutes, and other professional development. It’s “curriculum season”… Continue reading →

Want to obtain some high quality professional development at no cost to you? Need some books to sink your teeth into this summer? Feel like kicking back and just enjoying some time off? If you answered “yes,” to one of these questions, then read on!

I returned from three wonderful days at the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston late last night. I learned from authors, poets, classroom teachers, literacy coaches, PhD students, university professors, and other literacy leaders. Here’s a sampling of some the things I gleaned at this year’s convention.